START tracks agency recovery spending

Acumen Solutions unveiled a program today that will help agencies track the funds they receive under the economic stimulus law.

The Stimulus Tracking and Recipient Transparency (START) program will enable agencies to manage programs launched with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the company said.

START will also give oversight organizations, such as inspectors general, a clear view of agencies’ actions.

START is based on salesforce.com’s a flexible cloud-computing platform called Force.com, and it includes training and consulting services for a 30-day rapid launch. It targets agencies that are struggling to track, manage and comply with the Obama administration’s mandates for accountability, oversight and transparency of economic stimulus funds.

START’s features include:

Ready to Roll, preloaded block grant program data specific to each agency.

Simple Automation, which supports aggregation of data from an unlimited number of funding recipients and quarterly report data submitted via an easy-to-implement process.

Instant Oversight, with executive dashboards and management reporting that complies with Office of Management and Budget guidelines for accountability and transparency as mandated by the recovery law.

START tracks funds whether agencies distribute them to nonfederal recipients or use them internally for their own projects or activities, the company said.

The recovery law allocates more than $280 billion in direct funding. A large portion of the funds will go to states, territories and tribes, which will in turn will distribute money through grants, contracts, subsidies and loan programs